Realm of the Wombat

What was supposed to be a pitchers duel in a pitcher’s park turned into quite a circus, on and off the field. The bleachers were sold out, so Odie graciously picked up a pair of field level tickets since the computer wouldn’t let him buy view level.

There are pros and cons to sitting field level. Obviously you’re closer to the action. There’s an increased chance of catching a foul ball. You can heckle infielders, coaches, runners, and pitchers warming up in the pen. These are good things. However, the fans down there are pretty poor. There are really two situations for the people that sit field level: A) wealthy people that sit there regularly, or B) people that don’t go to many games, so they want to be as close as possible for the games that they actually attend. Neither one of these category requires ignorance about the game of baseball. However, it seems to me that the average Athletics fan is not the most affluent. The wealthy prefer to cross the bay and use the WiFi access of posh SBC Park to track their stocks in real time during the game. Thus, class A, which should be knowledgeable A’s fans, is small. That leaves B, which is a mixture of tourists, A’s fans from out of town, casual fans, uninterested yuppies, and fans of the opposing team. Except for visiting A’s fans, this is a group that I don’t mix well with.

Going into this game Rich Harden had allowed one run in 20+ IP, easily the best in the league. Chisox starting pitcher has been good this season also (3-1, 3.89 ERA). The A’s had been shut out in the previous two games, so an early deficit could be impossible to overcome. However, with the way Harden has pitched this year, if the A’s could get on the board, he might carry them to victory. With the stage set, here’s how things unfolded.

• Top 1. Harden allows a run on three singles. It was more than a fleeting thought that this game was over right there.
• The A’s get runners on in the first three innings, but all three feature double-plays to quash any threat.
• Top 4. Jermaine Dye drives a double over Kotsay’s head. I yell, “Where was that last year, Dye?” Laughter from crowd. Jovial aura extinguished by RBI singles by Uribe and Widger. A’s down 3-0. This game is over.
• Bottom 4. The White Sox commit the first of their three errors as Kendall reaches on an overthrow by Uribe. Chavez, 3 unassisted, Kielty walks, Hatteberg, 3 unassisted. A’s scoreless inning streak reaches 26 innings. In between innings, the diamond-vision features “Smile-Cam.” Anyone smiling after watching this offense should be escorted to the exit.
• Top 5. Harden escapes potential meltdown unscathed. After two quick outs, Rich beans Everett. Now it should be said that Carl Everett is a crazy man. He’s an immensely talented player, but there’s a reason he’s played for seven different teams, never for longer than 3 years per stint. Everett stares Harden down as he proceeds to first base. I yell, “We landed on the moon, Everett. Believe it!” Nobody gets it. Even if you don’t know he’s a scientologist, that’s still a quality heckle. Harden proceeds to throw two wild pitches and walk the next batter before Dye lines out to right.
• Bottom 5. Breakthrough. Ginter, single. Swisher, single. Scutaro grounds to short and Swisher breaks up potential double-play. Kotsay, RBI single. Byrnes, K. Kendall, walk. Chavez, 2 RBI single. Kielty, RBI single. Hatteberg, ground out 4-3. A’s ahead 4-3. Where’s “Smile-Cam” now? We have a lead!
• Top 6. That lead was short lived. Thanks in part to an error in left by Byrnes and a walk, Harden was lifted for Rincon with two runners on and the game tied. Bringing in Rincon is almost a signal that Manager Ken Macha is conceding the game. The lefty gave up a hit to Podsednik, putting Chicago back on top, and was promptly removed in favor of Yabu. Yabu finished the task of allowing all of Harden’s runners to score as well as Rincon’s.
• The inning’s dramatic conclusion illustrates beautifully the problem with people sitting field level. With Iguchi on third, Konerko lifted a high, shallow fly ball to right center. As Kotsay called off Swisher and positioned himself for a throw to the plate, Iguchi prepared to tag up. The ball was shallow enough that I figured Iguchi would fake a dash to the plate and draw a throw from Kotsay. Meanwhile, ignorant White Sox fan is proclaiming, “That’ll score him! That’ll get him in!” The outstanding A’s outfielder made the catch, and to my surprise the runner challenged him. Kotsay’s throw to Kendall was perfect, and as the catcher applied the tag, I turned to the fool behind me and lost all restraint. I focused all of the frustration of listening to his inane conversation with the equally ignorant A’s fan sitting in front of him. “Did he score? I didn’t see! That’ll score him! Yep, that’ll get him home! Wait, was he out? That’ll score him!” I yelled. According to Odie, the rest of our neighbors looked at me with a mixture of awe and fear. I suppose that makes sense since I had said almost nothing up until this point. In any case, this particular idiot kept his mouth shut the rest of the game.
• Top 7. Yabu worked in and out of trouble, with Ginter bailing him out with a diving stop and toss to Scutaro to end the inning. In the midst of this suspenseful inning, we witness one of the weirdest things imaginable. Uribe took three balls in a row to start his at bat, then was removed due to injury. Yes, he got hurt watching a pitch and not swinging. The report today is that he hurt his groin backing away from the pitch.
• Bottom 7. A’s still down 7-4, Buehrle out, Marte in. They can’t come back again, can they? Byrnes, single. Kendall, single. Chavez, double. One run in. Kielty ground out. Another run in, Chavy on third. A’s need to get this runner home from third and one out. Marte balks. Chavez scores. Game tied at 7.
• Bottom 8. With one out, Scutaro lifts a soft, routine fly to right. Dye settles under it, watches it come down, reaches up, and has the ball bounce out of his glove. Kotsay walks. First and second, one out, Durazo pinch hitting for Byrnes. He hits a dribbler to short. Harris, taking over for the injured Uribe, charges and runs right past it. Scutaro scores. Kendall singles, scoring Kotsay. A’s 9, White Sox 7.
• Top 9. Dotel in. K, pop to second, K. El Pato!

Odie’s analysis was that the A’s didn’t win; the White Sox lost. That’s true. It was not a well played game on either side, but it sure was entertaining.

UPDATE: In today’s game, due to two injuries and an ejection, Jermaine Dye is playing short and Chris Widger, the backup catcher, it at third. I love it.

Jim Dandy pointed this party wagon out to me on the same street as the circus CRV. When I went to take the picture, the owner had just gotten out of it, so I asked him if I could take a picture. He said it was ok. Maybe I should have told him about my site, but now he probably feels special.

Read the rest of this entry »

Reading Lolita in Tehran is described on the cover as a memoir in books. For me it was also a lesson in the history of Iran. If nothing else, the reader gets a true account of the Iranian Revolution, life under fundamentalist Islamic rule, and attitudes toward Western life, no propaganda, no spin. However, along with this political story, there are nuggets of literary critique that speak to the quality of Nafisi as a teacher.

Very early on Nafisi dismisses 1984 and instead cites Lolita as the novel most relevant to the plight of the Iranian woman. Her rationale is that an individual’s self-image is indistinguishable from the government’s idea of the individual’s place in a moral Islamic society. However, I can’t help think of Orwell’s classic: the educational system inundated with propaganda; Revolutionary Guard patrols control action and, it is hoped, thoughts; dissidents are periodically punished publicly to intimidate others; selectively positive news of a war used to unite citizens, when the reality is a conflict at a stalemate. The most eerie connection to 1984 is the description of what happens when political prisoners were executed.

The victims of this mass execution were murdered twice, the second time by the silence and anonymity surrounding their executions, which robbed them of a meaningful and acknowledged death and thus, to paraphrase Hannah Arendt, set a seal on the fact that they had never really existed.

Other reoccuring themes that a high school student could write a five-paragraph essay about are dreams and irrelevance. Here are some observations I made while reading:

• There is little reference to Iranian or any Asian literature. I’m guessing that this has to do with danger of writing anything contradictory to the government, so there weren’t really any Iranian authors Nafisi felt worth discussing.
• There is little reference to her husband. The book is mostly about Iranian women, but several men do appear prominently. Yet, I almost forgot she was married.
• During the war with Hussein, Iraq is vilified as an ally of West. I’m not sure what the Iranian opinion was of the US invading Iraq, but I bet it wasn’t too positive.

I probably did more thinking while reading this book than any other.

I realized something amazing about this album last week. The inhabitants of 610 Latimer Hall, with their varied musical tastes, have all at one time or another chosen Beck’s Guero for their selection in our music rotation. Usually we’re complaining behind each other’s backs about how this album is awful or how we’ve heard this artist 58 times in the last week. But Guero is the first album that has transcended mere tolerance and achieved universal acceptance and satisfaction. God bless that Beck.

Jim Dandy wanted to know how to say “turkey” in Spanish. I didn’t know. We recalled the word for chicken, “pollo,” and for ham, “jamón,” not to be confused with “jabón,” which means soap. Anyway, JD found that turkey is “pavo.” I subsequently wondered about the nation of Turkey, and that is “Turquía.”

Wordreference.com is your source for these vital inquiries.

Garbage’s first album had a bit of electronica that made them unique in the ’90s alternative scene. The band enjoyed greater success with Version 2.0, dabbling a bit more heavily in the electronic sound, but jumped overboard with their third album Beautiful Garbage. After a four year hiatus, Bleed Like Me gets back to that happy medium of guitar and synth achieved in Version 2.0. The first single “Why Do You Love Me” is clearly the class of the album, but there are a number of solid tracks, including “Bad Boyfriend.” If one were to take exception with any part of the disc, it would be that the band hasn’t really evolved since it’s first two records. That said, Bleed Like Me will easily satiate the Garbage fan that missed their presence for the past few years.

I picked this one up after I got back from NJ a couple weeks back. I was lamenting having to drive through the Plaza, and there it was. It was meant to be I guess. This is one of a few Berkeley cars I’ve seen that feature action figures.

Read the rest of this entry »

Written in 1964, this is James Baldwin’s analysis of civil rights through his life. There are three main sections: (1) growing up in Harlem realizing that his future seems to be either making a living unscrupulously on the streets or running to the church, (2) conversations with the burgeoning Nation of Islam, and (3) thoughts on race relations in the past, present (i.e. 1963) and future. In the first section, Baldwin shuns God, concluding, “If the concept of God has any validity or any use, it can only be to make us larger, freer, and more loving. If God cannot do this, then it is time we got rid of Him.” While his opinion of humanity isn’t much better, he does believe people can overcome their need to feel superior and achieve equality, not by segregation, but by integration. It was really more optimistic than I expected in the end.

I think the most poignant part of the book was when Baldwin honors the black men and women who endured segregation because the country was not ready to integrate. They made the most of their lives for their children and themselves. He writes, “I am proud of these people not because of their color but because of their intelligence and their spiritual force and their beauty.” We should all be proud.

Ok, here’s my take on flying. In general, I like it. You go hundreds of miles an hour and get where you need to be fast. This is a good thing. But there are several things that bother me about flying. Surprisingly, those things tend to be other passengers. Let’s break down the process.

• Checking in. Most airports and airlines now have a thing called “self-check in.” I consider this a major break through in check in technology. You stand in line, wait for an open machine, put in your credit card, and get your boarding pass. Agents behind the counter come by, put the tag on your baggage, and then move it to the conveyor belt, thus allowing them to serve many customers in the time it used to serve one. The problem with self-service is that it relies on the customer to be “self-sufficient,” and this is a problem for a large portion of the public. Manifested in the self-check in procedure, this issue arises first when people get to the front of the line. You really have to be a go-getter to make this work. You see an open machine, get over there. Most people get to the front of the line and need a personalized invitation to approach the machine and start the process. Also, people assume that an unoccupied machine is a broken machine. The airline could solve this problem very simply by having an agent stand at the front of the line and direct people to the next available kiosk. The second problem is that people don’t know how to use the machines. I’m not sure how this is possible because they are touch screens with the instructions in giant letters, but every time I’m at the airport one or two people need an agent to guide them through the four step process: 1) Insert credit card, 2) Confirm destination and seat assignment, 3) Indicate bags to check, 4) Take boarding pass. This should not be a source of delay.
• Security. Since 9/11 we have a slightly more thorough security check. I suppose delays at the security checkpoint ultimately lie with the airport. First, there is little consistency from airport to airport as to what’s expected. Some places are adamant that you take your shoes off, while others aren’t. At some airports, you must show your boarding pass and/or ID multiple times to get through security, and others are less stringent. These procedures should be standardized. Secondly, this information is not posted anywhere. There should be a sign at the beginning of the line that says, “Shoes and jackets must be x-rayed.” So while some issues are reconcilable by the airport, stupid customers also play a role in unnecessary delay. These clowns don’t realize that in 2005 you need a government issued photo identification, i.e. a drivers license or passport. Once I actually saw a woman try to use her Sam’s Club ID to get through security. (More disconcerting is that she was allowed to pass). Also, they don’t understand the job of a metal detector. It detects metal, moron! It will consider keys, change, and watches to be metal. You’ll be forced to repeat the process until you remove all the metal on your person. Finally, while it would be nice if customers would listen to the security personnel, who quite often have valuable pieces of advice like, “Remove your shoes and jackets; They must be x-rayed,” or “Remove all change and keys from your pockets and take off all watches before passing through the metal detectors,” or “Hold your boarding pass and ID in your hand so I can check them again.”
• Boarding. I really shouldn’t be complaining about the major problem with boarding, but I will. In fact, the problem isn’t so much boarding as it is pre-boarding. When I was growing up, the first people allowed to board the plane were those who needed extra time to board, e.g. parents with small children, the elderly, and the disabled. Now the first people allowed to board are those in first-class and the airline’s club. On Continental, these people are called “elite,” but I’ve also heard “premier” or “VIP” or other various descriptions of greatness. Now I don’t really have a problem with the airline letting first-class (they paid extra) or their superstar customers (they pay frequently) on the plane first if that’s what they want. However, half of the plane is pre-boarding! I’m not sure why anyone would want to sit on the plane for an extra half hour, especially when those same people are going to be fighting to get off when they reach the destination. The way I handle this situation is to sit in the reasonably comfortable waiting area seat and read my book and let these suckers fight it out to be the first on the plane. Half an hour later when the gate attendant announces, “Boarding all customers, all rows,” I’ll saunter up to the jetway and board.
• Stowing carry-ons. Ok, now I see why everyone has to be on the aircraft so quickly. These people want, no, need to get space in the overhead bin. Why? Because they have suitcases that absolutely can not be checked. Because the airline might lose them? Well, partially, but for a non-stop flight the percent chance of losing a bag are close to the number of inches between my knees and the seat in front of me. The real reason is that these people don’t want to wait at the baggage carousel. That’s right. They’ll spend 30 minutes on the plane so they don’t have to wait 10 off of it. Fine. I’m happy to stick my bag under the seat in front of me. I’ll donate the overhead bin space that I don’t need to compensate for your impatience. However, could you do me a favor and put the suitcases in wheels first so they fit most efficiently? Wasted space just bothers me. The flight attendants used to alert people to this fact, but nobody listened, so now they don’t even try.
• Flying. Maybe in the movie about safety there could be a short section on proper usage of the reclining feature of the seatback. Yes, the seats sit a little too upright in their native state, but they also move back a bit too far. I’m 5′ 11″ which is slightly above average for the male population. A seatback in its fully reclined position makes contact with my knees. For anyone my height or taller, this is unacceptable. Look, the sleep you’re trying to get isn’t going to be restful anyway, so let’s be a bit more courteous and cut down on the reclining.

So there you have it. My analysis of flying. I know you were dying to hear it.

I was home in NJ for the weekend, which, with the help of MLB.tv, allowed me to get my fill of baseball. Of primary concern were three series: Mets at Atlanta, A’s at Tampa Bay, and the Twins hosting Chicago.

Friday:

• It was a run famine on Friday. The Mets revamped offense managed a single run (Piazza HR), spoiling a solid start by enigmatic Victor Zambrano.
• The A’s banged out 13 hits and reached three more times by walks yet managed only 2 runs. The bullpen held Tampa scoreless for four innings, but finally cracked in the 10th. The folks at Athletics Nation thought that the heckler got to Swisher. It says something about your team when there are so few people at the game that you can hear one guy heckling on television.
• The Twins only put one run on the board against the Chisox, a fact exacerbated by the horrific Chicago play-by-play team of Ken Harrelson and Darrin Jackson.

Saturday:

• Pretty much nothing went right on Saturday. Aaron Heilman (ND 2001) was shaky in an emergency start for the Mets. It’s incredibly aggravating watching the former first-rounder struggle year after year, despite the acquisition of pitching guru Rick Peterson. I fear that if Heilman doesn’t put it together in the next few starts, he’s going to find his way out of New York.
• Barry Zito’s line: 3.1 IP, 11 R, 8 ER, 3 BB, 0 K, 2 HR. I understand the economic considerations, but I’d feel much better about the A’s chances this year if we had Hudson at the front of the rotation instead of our current “ace,” Zito.
• The Twins went down early but tied it up on a Shannon Stewart 3-run HR. Brad Radke promptly gave the Sox back the lead, and they didn’t look back.

Sunday:

• The weekend turned around in the 8th inning of the Mets game. Braves starter John Smoltz had put 15 K’s on the board against the Metropolitans, with no sign of slowing down. A base-hit by Jose Reyes followed by a 2-run blast by Carlos Beltran gave the Mets a lead for the first time since Monday’s 9th inning meltdown. Pedro Martinez held the Braves to 3 baserunners in a dominating complete game performance. First win of the season for New York.
• We had to wait a week for Rich Harden’s 2005 debut, but once on the mound, he delivered a much needed solid performance (5.1 IP, 1 R). More importantly, the Athletics managed a few hits with runners in scoring position. Strange play of the weekend: With two outs and runners on second and third, Erubiel Durazo hit a pop-up down the third base line. It drifted foul and came down over the first row of seats. Tampa third baseman Nick Green went to the wall, reached into the stands, and had an over-anxious Devil Rays fan knock the ball out of his glove. Durazo took advantage of his second chance, stroking a single to centerfield, driving in two. I loved it.
• The Twins turned to reigning AL Cy Young winner Johan Santana to salvage a game against arch-rival White Sox, and Supernatural came through (7 IP, 2 R, 11 K). Torii Hunter provided the offense with 4 RBI, and Minnesota got the victory. Matthew LeCroy is not Doug Mientkiewicz, nor is he Justin Morneau, as several plays on the right side of the infield turned into adventures this weekend, including two in this game.

It wasn’t the best weekend for my teams, but they picked it up on Sunday and got me pumped to see baseball in person again. I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep tomorrow as I fly back to the Bay Area for the A’s home opener.

When bands are around for 20+ years, you know they’re doing something right. The seminal band of the SoCal punk scene, Bad Religion has had that type of success with an evolving sound surrounding front-man Greg Graffin’s socially conscious lyrics. My usual complaint with punk bands is that tracks and albums sound the same. The way Bad Religion has avoided this monotony has put them at the top of my punk list.

That said, Generator doesn’t live up to these standards. The 1992 release is a bit too similar to the majority of the ‘80-’85 compilation or more recent albums (No Substance/Process of Belief, in particular). It’s not a poor album; every track is solid, but if you were going to own one Bad Religion album, go with No Control, Suffer, or Against the Grain.

When plans to go to Monterey fell through, we did the next best thing. We found a bunch of weird things to see, all in the same general direction from the East Bay. The general direction we decided on was southwest. So Melissa, Odie, and I hopped in the sled and drove across the Bay Bridge.

Read the rest of this entry »